


Ensign Techie of the Technical Corps

by rudbeckia



Series: Clan Techie Crossover [4]
Category: Dredd (2012), Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Crack, F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-02
Updated: 2016-06-05
Packaged: 2018-07-11 15:29:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 4,977
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7058200
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rudbeckia/pseuds/rudbeckia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Clan Techie starts work in the Technical Corps. He meets a very unusual radar technician who doesn't like him much. When Techie works out who Matt is, and at least part of his problem, he can't resist a bit of matchmaking. </p><p>After all, big brother General Hux has been pretty lonely.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. You're not qualified

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Jathis](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jathis/gifts).



Techie stood as still as he could on the first day of his new job, which meant he twisted his cap in his fists until it was a shapeless rag and shuffled from foot to foot under the glare of his fellow officers of the technical corps.

The tall one, blond and built like a Klatooinian and just as grumpy, spoke in a bored voice without bothering to look up.  
"Hi, I'm Matt. I'm a radar technician. You're not qualified to join."

Even Matt's colleagues looked at him in confusion. Techie felt his cheeks heat up and knew he'd be scarlet by now. His eyes prickled.  
"Ignore him, son," an older tech clapped Techie on the shoulder. "He's just sore because General Hux banned him from the bridge repair team. Tell you what, shadow me for a few shifts so you get the hang of things around here and you can have his place, eh?"  
"Thanks," Techie attempted to smile and make eye contact like his brother told him to. The older tech frowned.  
"What's up with your eyes?"  
"They're cybernetic implants. It helps with computer stuff. Like, I can take in more information, faster."  
"No, I meant the..." the man made a kind of circular wave over his own eyes.  
"Oh!" Techie patted his pockets and found his bacta spray. He used it sparingly and blinked a few times until the itch eased.

Matt got up and stomped out. Techie got the feeling he would have slammed the door if he could override the hydraulic rams that closed it gently behind him.  
"Don't mind him," the older tech leaned very close. Techie leaned back a little, trying not to seem rude. "Your brother told me to look out for you."  
It was barely a whisper. Techie took a deep breath and smiled.

It was impossible to avoid Matt except on bridge maintenance duty. Techie wondered if Matt was following him as he shadowed the more experienced techs and learned how more of the ship's systems functioned. It was his third day before Matt approached him in a service corridor, pushing him up against a wall and looking down into his eyes. Techie shrank back, waiting for a punch or a slap that didn't come.

"You're weak. You should not be here." Matt's voice seemed familiar when linked with that message. "You're lucky your brother hasn't thrown out out an airlock yet. He will. You'll fuck up and he'll get rid of you." Matt laughed at Techie's expression. "Oh yes, I know who you are, baby brother Hux."  
A flash of insight hit Techie so hard he almost yelled. Instead he faced Matt full on.  
"I know who you are too. Want me to tell the tech team there's a spy watching them? Want me to tell Brendol you're up to something and hiding it? I could, but I won't. If you leave me alone."  
Matt's face pulled into a grimace.  
"You would not dare. I could kill you, choke you without raising a hand, I could look in that head of yours and make you forget."  
"Go on then!" Fear turned Techie's stomach at the words he'd blurted out. "You can't, can you? You know what's in my head and you refused to look deeper. If you kill me you'll be floating out the airlock beside me, a double space burial for the two people Brendol actually loves." 

Matt froze for a fraction of a second then gripped Techie's tunic front with both hands, his face turning from anger to surprise.  
"Hux... he... loves me?"  
Techie snorted.  
"You mean the dark-side force-using mind-reader is the only person on The Finalizer who can't tell what's in Brendol's head when he looks at you?"


	2. Have we met?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Matt and Mitaka meet.

Matt swore Techie to secrecy in exchange for a truce. Techie was eager to agree and continue to pretend that Kylo Ren was nowhere near him at all times. After a two week induction period, Techie was trusted on his own for minor repairs and paired with a more experienced tech for unfamiliar or more complicated work.

It was inevitable, he realised. Mavuto, the officer who had looked after him so well called the tech team together to assign work briefs. When the techs drifted off in ones and twos, only Techie remained.  
"I know you're going to hate this, but we all have to take our turn." Technical Officer Mavuto sighed. "Nobody likes radar maintenance duty."  
"Uh?" Techie frowned. "Why not? It's just another sys–"  
Techie realised why not when his partner for the day graced them with his presence and his scowl. Mavuto handed Matt a datapad with their schedule for repairs and walked away, shaking his head.

Matt thrust the datapad at Techie.  
"You do this. I have better things to do than waste time on trivia."  
Techie gaped at the list of reported faults.  
"I can't do all these on my own! I've never done radar system work before. I need you to show–"  
Matt cut Techie's protest off with a gesture.  
"Neither have I." He gave Techie a lopsided smirk. "Do you think I _actually do_ menial tasks like repair work around here?"  
Techie gaped.  
"Then why do it? Why dress as a tech and pretend?"  
"Because," Matt leaned close to Techie and almost growled his answer, "I need to feel what's going on around here. Your brother refuses to talk to me and whenever I show up as myself everyone vanishes or shuts up. They all _hate_ me."  
Techie had no response. He looked at the datapad.  
"First job's on the bridge. I bet I can get you in even though you're banned. Why _are_ you banned from the bridge?"  
Matt was already walking away.

It turned out that the job was in a side room, a subsidiary control room beside the bridge. Lieutenant Mitaka smiled in delighted surprise at Techie.  
"Problem's in there," Mitaka pointed, "someone messed up the sensitivity settings and fried the decoder unit. I think it was the new girl."  
"What. Girl." Matt glared at Mitaka. Mitaka blinked rapidly and looked away, swallowing and fighting the urge to massage his neck.  
"Um, she was moved to... um... have we ever met? Before?"

Matt closed his eyes and took a deep breath, clenching his hands around his adjustable spanner so hard the metal warped. Better that, he thought, than give himself away to this jumped-up little nerf herder.  
"No." Matt turned and stalked into the control room. Techie shrugged at Mitaka, looked both ways and thought better of kissing him when he saw General Hux glaring down the corridor.

"So, um, which is the sensitivity circuit?" Techie asked, looking around the control panels.  
"How should I know?" Matt scowled. "Your brother thinks you're so smart. Figure it out."  
"I can't with you glaring at me. Puts me off. Can't you... um..." Techie made a rotating motion with his hand. Matt huffed and walked to the door, his back to Techie. 

Techie found the burned out circuitry and replaced it. Matt occasionally wandered off but returned frequently to irritate Techie with questions like, _aren't you done yet?_ and _why are you so insufferably slow?_  
Techie woked nervously, hampered by Matt's interruptions but too afraid to retaliate. As Techie fixed the cover back over his repairs, Matt sighed and murmured to Techie, "At last. You are every bit as infuriating as your stupid brother and if you delay us to give that moof milker I once choked a goodbye kiss I swear I will kill you both."

"Techie?" Both technicians looked round and saluted, Techie with a grin and Matt with a scowl.  
"General!" Techie said, playing his part. "The radar sensitivity control is in full working order, sir."  
"Thank you Techie. Thank you, um," Hux frowned at the tall, blond radar technician.  
"This is Matt," Techie supplied the missing name. "Matt is showing me how the radar systems function. He's a great teacher."  
Matt was well aware of Techie's sarcasm.

Later, on their second task which was a simple wiring repair in a service shaft, Techie distracted Matt by chattering about his brother. Just at the point where Matt considered forcing Techie to stop talking, Techie blurted out, "You should be nicer to Brendol."  
Techie felt his body lifted and his back slammed against the wall, pinned there with Matt's furious face inches from his own.  
"What. Did. You. Say?"  
Techie licked his lips and swallowed.  
"You should be nicer to Brendol. If you w..want. H...him. He likes you and–"  
Techie crumpled to the floor. Matt reched down and hoisted him up physically, one hand gripping the front of Techie's tunic. Matt let go, smoothed down the crumpled fabric and leaned close.  
"Keep talking."


	3. Free Will

Techie smiled nervously at Matt whilst squirming away.  
"You really want to know? I mean, what to do?"  
"Yes." Matt glowered at Techie. "I hate this."  
Techie sighed and looked away.  
"It must feel like when I see Doph sometimes. It's like I have no free will at all when he smiles."  
"I assure you," Matt sneered a little. "It is nothing like that."  
Techie looked up at Matt then back at his own hands, twisting in his tunic hem.  
"Oh. Okay. Sorry."

It was difficult, Techie conceded, to find acceptable ways Kylo Ren could woo his brother. "Just tell him" was rejected as coarse and unprofessional. "Buy him a gift" was too pedestrian. "Invite him to dinner" earned Techie a glare he did not wish to experience again. Whatever ways Techie suggested for Ren to show any form of affection were declared ridicuous by the blond-wigged radar tech. 

"I can only think of one more thing," Techie said, shaking his head slowly. "You probably won't like it but please don't choke me for it."  
"Out with it," snapped Matt.  
"If Kylo Ren can't do any of those things, maybe _Matt the Radar Technician_ can do them instead."

Matt sat with Techie at lunch, efficiently slurping down synthsust straight from the pack. Techie laughed at the face Matt pulled as he crumpled the pack and lobbed it at the recycler.  
"You could have real food in the officers' mess."  
"Synthsust is perfectly formulated for my nutritional requirements. I do not need the distraction of additional flavour."  
"Oh." Techie stole a glance at Matt's habitual frown. "Brendol likes spicy food but he doesn't get it much." Matt did his best to appear not to be listening. Techie smiled and fiddled with the corner of his own ration pack. "I suppose an invitation to dinner from someone of a much lower rank would be unrealistic. Matt would need to work up to that." 

Matt huffed at Techie's comment about rank. General Hux was not short of admirers from what Matt and Techie had overheard whilst rendered invisible by their khaki shirts and bright orange tool-vests, but Techie assured Matt that his brother did not indulge in casual encounters with lower ranks. Techie smirked at Matt.  
"Turn up at the end of gamma shift tomorrow, my quarters. Bring something to the party, I'm celebrating my successful start to my new life. I'll make sure my brother is there and in a good mood."


	4. Put it back

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Matt does not know how to be a guest. Hux is suspicious.

"Oh come on, please be there!" Techie watched Hux's face soften. "It means so much to me. I want to say thanks, you know, for letting me join the tech corps. The only other people there will be people who already know I'm your brother."  
"How many?" Hux demanded.  
"Oh just you and me and Mitaka and Phasma and Mavuto said he might be there and... should I ask Kylo Ren?"  
"Absolutely not. I do not want to hear that annoying voice modulator. Fine, I'll come. After gamma shift? I won't stay long because..."  
Hux waved his hand. Techie knew exactly what he meant.

Mitaka thought Techie's plan was stupid and said so. Techie was undeterred.  
"Please, Doph. Just turn up and smile, be nice. You're good at that. You don't have to stay long." Techie rubbed his face and pushed his hand through his floppy hair. "I'll hack into the servery module and order you something nice. I bet they can make–"  
"Apple pie. I'll do it for apple pie. Thick pastry crust, the crumbly sort."  
Techie grinned at Mitaka's hopeful expression.  
"With caramel sauce?"

Phasma was easier to convince. All Techie had to do, in response to Phasma's brand of subtle questioning, was tell her the whole plot about who Matt the Radar Technician really was and why he planned to introduce him to Hux. Phasma laughed and said she wouldn't miss it for anthing.  
"Sith knows it, Techie, your brother needs to get laid."

Mavuto sent his apologies and a gift of several short sections of copper-cored cable. Techie stripped off the insulation with deft fingers and intended to set the copper strands aside for later. By the time a service droid beeped in with as close an approximation to apple pie and caramel as the kitchens could provide, Techie had twisted a handful of thin copper wires into a tree and set it on the table beside the rearing bantha he'd already made. 

Mitaka was the first guest to arrive. He took advantage of a few minutes alone with Techie to try to convince him not to deceive the general.  
"It's for his own good," Techie insisted. "Even if it goes wrong he'll forgive me. What's the worst that could happen?"  
"War? Destruction?" Mitaka shook his head. "I have a bad feeling about this. Please, please stop. Techie, how would you feel if General Hux deceived you like this?"  
That made Techie sulk. Mitaka sighed and gave up trying to kiss Techie, whose face had become a reluctant, moving target. 

Phasma arrived next to find Mitaka silenced by the biggest slice of pie he could fit into a bowl, drowning in a caramel sea. She hugged Techie, grabbed a spoon and sat beside Mitaka. Before she ploughed in to Mitaka's pudding, Phasma grinned at Techie.  
"When does the show start?" She scooped up a spoonful of pastry, dripping with sugary sauce. "Those two are going to make such idiots of themselves."

Techie felt his guts twitch, at last uncertain of his plan. He was on the point of rushing out to intercept Hux when the door opened and Matt stalked in without his orange vest. His blond wig and metal-rimmed glasses were carefully in place. Matt hung around by the side of the door, ignored until Techie offered him a bowl and pointed at what remained of the pie. Hux was only a minute behind Matt. He walked in, helped himself to food, ruffled Techie's hair and sat down opposite Phasma. Matt, it seemed, was off his radar. Techie wondered if he should have told Matt to wear something that wasn't his work shirt, then realised he probably only had two outfits.

Techie beckoned Matt to sit.  
"Everyone, this is Matt. He's been, um, showing me around the radar systems."  
"Hi," Matt said in monotone, "I'm a radar technician. I brought this. For Hu... Techie."  
Matt thunked a bottle onto the table. Phasma smiled at her spoon and refused to make eye contact with anyone. Mitaka gave Matt a nervy smile and rubbed absently at his throat. Techie grinned at Hux. Hux looked at Matt and frowned.  
"Do I know you?"  
Matt shook his head and fiddled with his glasses.

"Brendol?" Techie touched Hux's arm, "Could you open this?" He handed Hux the small bottle. Hux read the label and broke out into a proper smile.  
"Arkanis dessert wine! Where did you get this? It's really rare!" Hux sighed and handed it back. "I can't, Bren, this is a huge gift to accept from someone you've known for a couple of weeks."

Techie gaped at his brother. Hux stood up to leave.  
"Nice to meet you, Matt. I had no idea radar technicians were so resourceful. I have two bottles of this stuff in my personal collection. It would be wrong to drink it without proper ceremony. Bren?" Hux gestured to his brother. Techie got up and followed Hux out into the corridor.  
"What's wrong?" Techie frowned at his brother. "I thought he was being nice. I said bring something to the party and he brought wine."  
"I know," Hux sighed. "Be careful of that one. You don't show up at a shift-mate's quarters with a kriffing rare and expensive bottle of wine unless there's another motive. You're okay with Phasma and Mitaka? Aren't you? You would _tell me_ if you were... looking elsewhere?"

Techie opened and closed his mouth a couple of times, shaking his head and trying to figure out how to explain Matt's gift.  
"He was being nice! Brendol–"  
"Bren, you don't realise how naive you are at times. Count on it, Matt wants something from you. Probably something you don't want to give."  
Hux hugged Techie, kissed his forehead and returned to the bridge.

Inside Techie's quarters, Matt, Mitaka and Phasma sat in silence around the table. Techie sighed. Mitaka and Phasma both started on their apologies and excuses at the same time, and settled for leaving with unseemly haste. Techie sighed again and sat opposite Matt.  
"Sorry that backfired. Where'd you get a bottle of that stuff anyway?"  
Matt pulled a face.  
"In Hux's personal safe. I will go put it back before he thinks to check."

Techie focused and defocused his eyes, quite an impressive sight as the cobalt irises rotated and altered the intensity of light admitted to his solid state retinas.  
"What did you think would happen once Brendol realised you'd stolen one of his prized possessions to give back to him as a gift?"  
Matt shrugged.  
"I thought we'd've fucked by then."  
"I can salvage this. Just... next time you're invited to a party, bring a fucking balloon or something."


	5. Heroes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Matt takes Techie's suggestion literally. Hux is not amused.

Matt took Techie literally. A few days later, after some particularly welcome downtime planetside, Hux returned to his quarters to find a dozen helium-filled balloons gently wafting in the circulated air currents near the ceiling in his quarters. One of them, the pink one, had a note attached, _from an admirer._ Hux frowned and sent for Techie. Techie arrived, still relaxed from his own leave with Mitaka.

"Bren, what do you know about this?"  
Techie laughed in delight.  
"Nothing! I guess Matt took it literally. I told him to bring a balloon next time."  
Hux thrust the balloon he was holding into Techie's hands.  
"These are from _Matt?_ The _radar technician?"_  
"Yes," Techie smiled. "He admires you, not me."  
"How..." Hux cleared his throat. "How did Matt get into my quarters? It's creepy. Make him never do it again. No, even better, I'll have Phasma pick him up and she can extract the information from him. Please gather up these ridiculous frivolities and remove them from my sight."  
Techie sighed and pulled at the dangling ribbons one by one until he had all twelve balloons. Before tying them together, he pulled out the pink one and weighted it down with Hux's personal datapad.  
"At least keep that one. You always liked the pink ones best." 

Techie walked from Hux's quarters to Mitaka's and let himself in.  
"Balloons idea flew, I see?"  
Techie grinned at Mitaka.  
"So-so. They were a bit of a let-down but at least he didn't use them for target practice. I made him keep the pink one."  
Mitaka got up to hug and kiss Techie. He took one of the balloons, untying the others and letting them settle on the ceiling. Mitaka painstakingly unpicked the knot sealing the balloon and waggled his eyebrows at Techie. He took a deep breath and expelled as much air from his lungs as he could before inhaling the helium from the balloon.  
"Hey Techie," Mitaka squeaked, "want to stay and watch a holovid?"

Phasma dropped by at the end of her watch to find Techie and Mitaka helpless with laughter on the sofa. Techie raised his hand and trilled, _"Today is the last day of the republic!"_ to which Mitaka responded with a chirpy, _"Guide me, Supreme Leader!"_  
Phasma rolled her eyes, grabbed one of the last three balloons and joined in.  
_"Which one of you infants wants to polish my breastplate?"_  
Two hands went up. They were both Mitaka's.

Techie amused himself with a holovid and headphones while Mitaka amused Phasma in his sleeping area. Soon Techie felt two pairs of arms around him, one on each side and two heads on his shoulders. He pulled off the headphones, leaned back and smiled.  
"Want me to re-start the vid?"  
"No," Phasma kissed Techie on the temple. "I have to get some sleep. The general wants me to interrogate Matt first thing beta shift."  
Techie leaned in to Phasma's touch, aware that she smelled slightly of Mitaka.  
"Sorry about that. I did tell him leaving things in Brendol's room would raise suspicion but he doesn't listen." 

Phasma offered two goodnight kisses and left with a smile. Techie and Mitaka watched the rest of the holovid, some propaganda-based action movie with heroes of the First Order crushing rebel scum with technology and discipline. At the end, Techie hugged and kissed Mitaka goodnight, aware that he smelled like Phasma.  
"Want to stay?' Mitaka said, reluctant to let go of Techie's waist.  
"Not here," Techie replied with a shake of his head. "But if you want company, use the fresher then come to my quarters where there's a bed nobody has fucked in."

Mitaka laughed and nodded, Techie left with a smile that lasted until he reached his own quarters. Inside, sitting in Techie's chair, was Matt.


	6. Banthashit!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Matt finally loses it and gives Hux a gift that he accepts.

"You said he liked balloons and now I've been summoned to interrogation." Matt glared accusingly at Techie. "Are you playing with me? Are you trying to get Hux to hate me?"  
"No!" Techie retorted. "It would help if you were less sneaky. You know, knocking on his door and _giving_ him the balloons instead of pulling the stalker act and breaking in."  
Matt sat back, a scowl dragging at his features.  
"I suck at this."  
"Yes," agreed Techie. "You do. Look, let me think of something. Just tell Phasma the truth, see if she comes up with anything."  
Matt scratched his head, dislodging his blond wavy wig slightly. He pulled it off, stood and threw it on the floor.  
"This is TOTAL BANTHASHIT!"  
Techie took a couple of steps back but that only gave Matt space to swing his lightsaber. Matt roared and slashed while Techie hid in his fresher unit.

Ten minutes later, Mitaka surveyed the smoking, molten remains of Techie's furniture. He called out, uncertainty in his tone.  
"Techie?"  
"In here"  
"You okay?"  
"Has he gone?"  
"Yes."  
"Then I'm okay."  
Techie emerged and Mitaka held him tight.  
"You call a service droid team, I'll see what can be salvaged."

Phasma, to Matt's discomfort, dissolved into helpless laughter when he described his despair at his repeated failures to woo the general. Matt did not find it funny at all. Phasma wiped the tears from her eyes and blew her nose, steadied her voice.  
"Sir, I will have to report back to General Hux that a formal hearing found you guilty of tresspass without malice. It's a written warning for, um, _Matt."_  
"Do what you have to do," Matt replied. "I'm done."

Techie did not see Matt on duty. Mavuto, tipped off by Mitaka that Matt had alienated yet another tech, assigned Techie to general repairs with himself as supervisor until he was called away. When Mavuto returned, he sighed and clapped Techie on the shoulder.  
"You won't be seeing Matt again. General Hux found out about the repair team in your quarters. His face went a funny shade of pink and he yelled for Matt to be brought to him right away. Well, Matt was apparently being questioned over some other misdemeanour, I don't know what but ha! I mean take your pick. Anyway," Techie's shoulder received another reassuring squeeze. "Matt's been discharged and is to be escorted to the nearest hospitable planet and dumped there with a week's wages and the insignia ripped off his shirt."

Techie went to Hux's quarters straight after his shift. Hux sat in his desk chair, frowning at a basket. He looked up but the frown didn't lift.  
"Bren, you should have told me he tore up your quarters. You could have come here. I warned you he was not what he seemed."  
"I know. Mitaka stayed with me so I was..." Techie's voice trailed off and his frown almost exactly matched his brother's. "What's that?"  
"Matt had a kitten. About six months old. Look."  
Techie peered through the grille on top of the basket. A slender, orange cat with green-black eyes and white whiskers stared back out at him.  
"Why do you have Matt's kitten?"

Hux opened the basket. The cat leapt out and darted under the sofa.  
"Matt brought it, buzzed for entry, said _I can't have this any more, she's yours now_ and ran away. It's okay, Phasma reported that he's been caught."  
Techie, by now on his hands and knees, ear to the floor better to look under the sofa, sat up on his heels and smiled.  
"She kind of looks like you. You should keep her. I'll come by and play with her when you're busy."

The kitten nosed out and performed a careful perimeter search of her new territory, backing away from Hux's discarded slipper before testing it with a prod, a slap then a pounce. Techie laughed and the kitten scooted back to safety under the sofa. Hux smiled.  
"I suppose I can keep her for now."  
"She looks like a..." Techie laughed. "Millicent."  
Hux rolled his eyes.  
"Fine. Just... don't say anything. Can you imagine how Kylo Ren would react to finding I have an unauthorised pet?"  
Techie beamed and nodded.  
"Yes, I think I can."


	7. Nervous Ginger

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Millicent to the rescue!

Matt's removal from the tech corps made work more enjoyable. Techie paired up with a genuine radar technician and spent his free time between Mitaka's quarters and his brother's, coaxing Millicent out from her preferred hiding places with ribbons and crinkly bits of plastic and treats. Hux sometimes returned to find Techie on the sofa with Millicent upside down and draped over his lap, both asleep. Upon hearing Hux, Millicent would dart back into hiding and Techie would mumble an apology and leave.

"Stay a while," Hux suggested one time, and Millicent poked her paws out from under the sofa to swipe at Techie's toes. "I'll have a service droid bring food. I have an hour or so before I have to review today's status reports."  
Techie hugged Hux and sat down again. Hux tapped at his datapad and a few minutes later a droid arrived with some kind of fish salad. Hux carefully picked the fish from his plate and put it in a separate dish, setting the dish on the floor near the sofa with a soft _come on Millie baby_. A ginger paw snuck out, snagged the edge of the dish with claws and dragged it under the sofa. Techie and Hux both grinned at the sounds of purring and chewing that came from Millicent. Hux pointed at Techie's plate.  
"Are you eating that fish?"

The door buzzed and opened just as Techie and Hux finished eating the greenery from their supper and Ren strode in. Hux scowled.  
"Come in, why don't you?"  
Ren sat down.  
"Oh please, sit down."  
Techie stacked their plates and retrieved Millicent's dish. Hux summoned the service droid to take them away. Ren reached up and disengaged the clasps that held his mask over his face, then pulled off his helmet. He shook out his hair. Hux halted on the brink of making a sarcastic comment: Millicent gave a happy chirrup and trotted over to Ren, jumping up on his lap, putting two front paws on his chest and headbutting his nose.

Hux frowned.  
"How are you so friendly with my cat?"  
"I missed her," Ren scratched Millicent behind the ear. "I brought her favourite toy."  
Ren rummaged under his robes and produced what looked like a stuffed animal, a ball of pale sandy coloured fur. He shook it in front of Millicent, who flopped over, grabbed it with her front paws, sunk her teeth into it and started kicking at it with her hind legs while Ren smiled at her. It took a few seconds for Techie and Hux to recognise the toy for what it was. Techie quietly edged towards the exit.

"That..." Hux pointed, "That's a wig!"  
Kylo Ren nodded.  
"That's _Matt's_ hair! That's _Matt's_ cat!"  
Hux sat opposite Ren and Millicent, who was alternately purring and growling and licking the blond wig. Ren reached over and gave the wig a little twitch. Millicent leapt a foot in the air and renewed her attack.  
"She's... _your_ cat!"  
"No," Ren shrugged. "I gave her to you. She's your cat now. She'll love you if you treat her right."

"BREN!"  
Techie froze, hand almost on the pad that would allow his escape. Millicent also froze then darted back under the sofa. Ren sighed and picked ginger fluff off his robe.  
"Now look what you did," said Ren. "You shouldn't yell around her. She doesn't like it."  
Hux, red faced and trembling a little, glared at Techie.  
"You knew. You knew all along. You think this is FUNNY?"  
Techie shook his head. He stepped closer, both arms out and palms up.  
"No, I mean yes. I mean... I knew but I wasn't ever laughing at you. I... um..." Techie looked at Ren with a pleading expression. Ren sighed and breathed, _"okay"_

The last thing Techie heard before he bolted out of Hux's quarters was Hux's voice, gentler now.  
"Why didn't you just kriffing _tell_ me?"


End file.
